A space where only silence permeated the stillness.
Flinch—
In an instant, a man sitting cross-legged at the center slightly swayed.
Then, his closed eyes slowly opened, and with that, a brilliant light erupted explosively.
In a moment, it colored the surroundings before being contained within a pair of irises.
“… The connection has been severed.”
Right after that, a strange voice, impossible to gauge, flowed from the man.
It was an alien voice that seemed to blend the ordinary with the extraordinary, the worldly wisdom with youthful exuberance.
“Is this… the Ganghwan Realm?”
The owner of the voice, the Head of the Buncheon Society, closed his eyes again and reflected on the sensations, but it was too late for any changes.
The connection with the Apostle who represented his holiness in the Ganghwan Realm was cut off.
And that meant only one thing.
‘What happened? There shouldn’t be an entity capable of harming the Heavenly Demon in the Ganghwan Realm now.’
Of course, ascending to divinity wasn’t solely about possessing power.
After all, a god exists only when there are Apostles who worship and provide faith.
In other words, it was like the top authority of a colony that had been supplying faith suddenly meeting a tragic fate, effectively sealing off all related lines.
‘Tsk, how could something like this happen right now.’
The Head of the Buncheon Society clicked his tongue, lamenting the damage he’d suffered recently in Auterica.
Who could have predicted that a being as powerful as the Heavenly Demon would suddenly die?
Clearly, something unexpected had occurred.
‘… But right now, I must refrain from recklessly moving.’
Crossing dimensions required immense effort.
Moreover, revisiting a world he had already been to demanded a time and effort many times greater than before, which also posed a problem.
The god overseeing that world would never allow him to wander freely.
Considering the opportunity costs, it seemed much better to pioneer a new world instead.
“I guess my expectations were too high. I thought I had found quite a useful guy.”
Ultimately, the Head of the Buncheon Society just clicked his tongue once more and closed his eyes tightly again.
Losing an Apostle who had overseen an entire world was indeed a substantial loss, but a setback of this magnitude was within his expectations.
‘The most likely factor is the involvement of remnants of supernatural creatures. I thought I had dealt with them properly, but it seems I overlooked something. I’ll have to be more careful next time.’
Having dismissed the sudden variable with little concern, the Head of the Buncheon Society once again sank into deep calm.
Unbeknownst to him, the true culprit behind this anomaly had been the gang that tricked him in Auterica.
*
“Uh, excuse me… Demon Lord?”
“Huh? What’s up, buddy?”
“Uh… I can’t stress this enough, but I really don’t taste good. I’m not joking; that’s our primary means of survival. There’s even a saying that a flavorless fish like the Ganjun is actually considered a delicacy…”
“Oh, I see! Got it! Why is this guy so scared?”
“… Could you stop licking your lips while looking at me?”
“Uh.”
Slurp!
Only then did Harley swallow the drool that had unknowingly slipped out and wipe his mouth.
They were currently moving away from Yung Jung Mountain towards another location.
Once Harley discovered the other party belonged to Gonmudo, he formally requested to have a more intimate conversation, and approval was given to Cheong Gwan to guide him.
‘I can’t do anything foolish in such a smooth situation. There will be opportunities later on.’
Since this was the first supernatural creature he’d encountered since coming to this world, he was personally intrigued, but he truly had no intentions of causing any harm.
His recent physical reactions were merely natural phenomena that occurred upon discovering a new type of genetic makeup.
No matter how perfected Harley’s body was nearing transcendence, this was merely instinct engraved in the foundation of his being, and he couldn’t help it.
“Ahem, but if it’s a supernatural creature, can’t you easily regrow a limb if it’s severed? You seem a bit too sensitive about this.”
“I don’t know what kind of environment you’ve been in, but not all supernatural creatures possess such abilities. Among them, I’m more specialized in techniques than physical prowess.”
“Oh, that’s a pity…”
“… Huh?”
“Never mind! Come on, let’s hurry! Kahaha!”
“…”
The veiled forces of supernatural creatures, Gonmudo.
Mosan Faction, the external face, was located at the eastern edge of Jiangsu Province, facing the sea, but fortunately, they didn’t have to visit there directly.
“Actually, it was created for external activities that needed an outward persona. Most of the masters of the Mosan Faction are humans, while we supernatural beings mostly reside in different places.”
With such a simple explanation, Cheong Gwan guided them to a large river nearby.
“Everyone has their methods, but perhaps due to my background, I feel most at home here. Although it’s quite limited by the terrain, if one can navigate the waterways well, it can be quite convenient.”
Having roughly finished his explanation, Cheong Gwan pulled out various ritual tools from his backpack and set up an altar on the flat ground by the river, chanting strange incantations and immediately performing a ceremony.
As time passed, the nearby water began to ripple and move loudly.
‘What a spectacle… But what’s that?’
At that moment.
Amidst the fascinating ceremony that Harley observed, enthralled by the different manifestation of magic from the Zhuge Family, he suddenly realized something unusual reflected on the riverbed beyond the water.
It wasn’t scenery of the place they were at, but an indescribable opening that illuminated a completely different forest.
“… Hoo, it’s done. Now we can enter there. Then, we’ll step into the pride of our Gonmudo, the realm built behind this world! Actually, for a wandering supernatural creature, getting entry permission this quickly is quite extraordinary; it seems the higher-ups look positively at your meeting with Demon Lord.”
Jingle—
Having tidied up his things and approached with a bright expression, Cheong Gwan shook a small bell.
In truth, he felt quite good about heading home, no matter the circumstances.
“Okay, then let’s go— Ah!”
“What’s wrong, Demon Lord?”
“… No, just remembered something I completely forgot about.”
Momentarily hesitating, Harley scratched the back of his head, realizing only now that he had come here alone without giving any notice to Mok Ing-gwang, who remained in the Shaolin Temple.
“Well, what’s done is done! Let’s go, buddy! Uhahaha!”
But he quickly shrugged it off, walking confidently ahead.
After all, the treatment of Mok Ing-gwang at the Shaolin Temple hadn’t been bad at all.
Even though he was often looked down upon within the complex, they wouldn’t disrespect someone who had rushed in to help during a tough situation.
Even if it wasn’t intended, the fact remained that he had been a great help.
Additionally, considering the serious damage they had just recently suffered, the Shaolin Temple would likely want to hold onto a powerful ally for as long as possible.
‘Then I can visit after wrapping up things on this side.’
Besides, the purpose of coming this far was to obtain information.
It wouldn’t take long at all to finish everything and return.
Thus, Harley followed Cheong Gwan, who jumped into the water, extending his legs into the hole on the riverbed.
And right afterward, he realized he was standing in the middle of a forest that felt dreamy.
And—.
Grrrr— what is this? A mongrel? Hey, what’s your deal?
He faced off against a huge supernatural creature already present there.
“Eek! W-Why is Lord Do-ol here…?”
The fact that this being had a rather notorious reputation sent Cheong Gwan, who had crossed over with Harley into the realm, stumbling back in fear.
“Am I in a place I shouldn’t be? And you there, are you mute? Or have you frozen in awe of my presence? Grrr—!”
Standing over five meters tall, a tiger-like body with legs, a long tail, and sharp teeth glaring in the absence of lips, along with fiery orbs of fiery energy in its eyes.
With tremendous intimidation and a violent presence, it began to envelop the surroundings quietly.
‘Impressive. After all, there are monsters like this among supernatural beings, which might explain how they’ve managed to endure so far.’
While it couldn’t compare to the distinguished Heavenly Demon among current realms, it seemed like it could hold its own against the Sword Saint of the Nangong Family.
As Harley marveled inwardly, the previously retreating Cheong Gwan gulped anxiously and took a cautious step forward.
“Uh, Lord Do-ol? This person is a guest of Lady Cheong-ryong…”
“Scram, fish! Before I slice you up and eat you.”
“Eeep!”
But that courage didn’t last long.
With a low growl and a glare from Do-ol, Cheong Gwan froze in place, unable to utter a word as his breath hitched.
Realizing that the confrontation wasn’t merely a welcoming gesture, Harley wore a subtle smile, stepping forward confidently.
“Wait a minute, big guy. Just to check, are you starting something with me right now?”
Even so, he thought it necessary to confirm, as he was technically entering someone else’s territory as a guest.
Since he hadn’t achieved his goals yet, it was crucial to match their rhythm.
Grrr— A confrontation? Well… You can think of it as a simple test. You can’t let just anyone through the door, right? The worth of a warrior is proven through battle.
“Aha! So it’s a welcoming ceremony!”
Hoho? You find that interesting?
Kahaha—! Of course!
Despite Cheong Gwan flailing his arms in a flustered manner, he had already faded from the attention of the two monsters.
The tension escalated.
“That’s exactly my taste! I love that kind of stuff!”
With those very words, Harley’s voice grew joyful as his grin widened, revealing his sharp teeth.
A few drops of suppressed drool dripped to the floor.
‘That guy must clearly be a physical type—’
Unlike Cheong Gwan, Harley instinctively sensed the overwhelming physicality, the powerful energy ingrained in each cell.
He could feel it instinctively.
That is an exquisite delicacy that could not be savored anywhere else.
‘—Just one bite… No, given the size, I should be able to have a few bites!’
His long-suppressed hunger began to swell like a tide.
*
Do-ol was at his wit’s end with boredom lately.
When he was left alone after all those he had lived and fought with had died, he had no choice but to seek refuge in Gonmudo, which came with the problem of the restriction he had to accept.
No harm must come to those belonging to Gonmudo.
Initially, this condition didn’t seem significant, but as time passed, Do-ol realized it was anything but simple.
Being innately aggressive and loving conflict, every day spent here felt akin to being imprisoned.
Hanging around and stoking quarrels among others for entertainment, or deliberately provoking an opponent’s opening was a temporary distraction…
Moreover, given Do-ol’s notorious reputation, such tactics hardly worked.
So, as he wrestled with the thought that it might be better to just go out and fight until he dropped dead…
He happened to come across the news of a wandering supernatural creature being granted entry into Gonmudo.
An Outsider!
Indeed, someone not belonging to Gonmudo— someone exempt from the restriction.
From the moment they obtained permission to enter, that signified they were both a guest and potentially likely to belong to Gonmudo afterward, but Do-ol didn’t care about such trivialities at all.
Regardless, “Outsider” was an undeniable fact!
Thus, he quickly rushed to the entry area and, not long after, found himself in front of his target.
The man radiated a familiar, extraordinary energy.
At that sight, his initial thought of tearing off a few limbs to snack on shifted slightly.
It didn’t seem bad to give him a good beating, then recruit him afterward.
With that thought, Do-ol greeted him warmly, keenly negotiating rather than diving immediately into a fight as previously planned.
Then, something unexpected happened right after.
“Let’s see if we fit size-wise.”
As those words finished, Crunch— Crunch—
The body that barely reached Do-ol’s thigh began to expand instantly.
Waist, chest, shoulders— until he had to look up to see him towering over his former self.
“Oh dear. Is this too large? It’s been so long since I did this, and I’m having trouble controlling it! Kahaha!”
Boom—
With laughter that sounded like thunder, a storm began to rage and shake the surroundings.
Do-ol, with his head raised, stared upwards, mouth agape.
It wasn’t just a larger size.
The density of muscles that quivered like a separate life form, and the radioactive intensity of energy blazing like a volcano pressed down all around, forcing a vivid texture into his psyche.
‘Um…’
As things devolved into that chaos, a singular lucid thought sliced through Do-ol’s mind.
‘Is this truly okay as it is?’
…Of course, it wasn’t okay at all.
